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Time travel
"I hate temporal mechanics" : - Miles O'Brien, past and future ( ) Temporal mechanics is the study of the workings of time and its effects on the space-time continuum, and is particularly relevant when dealing with time travel. As late as 2151, time travel was deemed impossible by the Vulcan Science Directorate. The United Federation of Planets has had some form of time travel ability since at least 2268. It is possible that at least some of the current and future regulations regarding time travel can trace their origins back to this date. However, capability at this point was most likely inaccurate, making any attempt at time travel experimental and dangerous. Temporal mechanics is taught at Starfleet Academy. Julian Bashir took the class, where he learned about predestination paradoxes. ( ) History As of 2378, at least 40 different instances of some form of time travel had been noted in Federation records. Technologically speaking, the Federation's capabilities concerning time travel have for the most part remained unclear. The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) first experienced time travel in 2266 when an emergency cold starting of its warp drive slingshot the ship and crew 71 hours into the past.( ) In 2267, after an encounter with a black star, the Enterprise was hurled 300 years into the past. Eventually, the Enterprise's science officer Spock devised a method for returning the Enterprise back to its original period. ( ) Though other instances of time travel had been noted, this appears to be the first instance of controlled time travel by the Federation. Later that year, officers Kirk, Spock and McCoy travelled to Earth's early 20th century and back via the Guardian of Forever. ( ) Sometime in 2268 the Enterprise traveled back in time, using the light-speed breakaway factor, to 1968 on a historical research mission. ( ) The existence of such a mission suggests that at least in 2268 the Federation was capable of controlled time travel and they used this ability at the very least for research purposes. In 2286, Captain James T. Kirk and his senior staff take a stolen Klingon Bird-of-Prey back in time to the year 1986 to retrieve a pair of then (2286)-extinct humpback whales to save Earth from destruction by an alien probe. ( ) In an alternate timeline version of 2404, a Chronexaline-inoculated Kathryn Janeway uses a Chrono Deflector to generate a temporal rift and travel 25 years into the past. ( ) In 2371, Captains Jean-Luc Picard and James T. Kirk use the Nexus as a means of controlled time travel, going to just before the destruction of the Veridian star, which Picard intended to save. (Picard arrived at the Nexus from just after the destruction of said star, whereas Kirk arrived from some 78 years before. (Star Trek Generations) At least once, Q took Captain Jean-Luc Picard back in time to the beginning of life on Earth. It is unknown if Q actually willed himself and Picard to the beginning of life on earth or if it was just an illusion. ( ) Quinn took [[USS Voyager|USS Voyager]] back in time to the Big Bang to hide from Q. ( ) An encounter with the 29th century timeship Aeon threw Voyager back to an alternate 1996. History was set right when Captain Janeway destroyed the timeship before it could travel to the future and accidentally cause a temporal explosion. Voyager was returned to the correct time by an alternate version of the Aeon from the correct timeline. ( ) A version Captain Janeway from 2404 traveled back to 2378 bring Voyager home from the Delta Quadrant 16 years earlier then it originally did. This future Janeway was killed in the attempt but succeeded in returning Voyager home and even delivered a crippling if not fatal blow to the Borg. ( ) Temporal Cold War The events of the Temporal Cold War further complicate the understanding of Federation time travel capabilities. As early as the 26th century, historians and anthropologists used Time-travel pods to travel through time to observe historical events. ( ) Crewman Daniels, an alleged time traveler from the 31st century, showed Jonathan Archer a group of time-traveling anthropologists from 2769 observing the building of the pyramids of Giza. ( ) As of the 29th century, a time traveling faction represented by a mysterious individual, could only communicate and exchange information and technologies through time, appearing as a non-corporeal entities. By the 31st century, this technology was perfected to allow physical travel. According to Daniels, all time travelers were bound by the observance of strict procedures set forth in the Temporal Accords. Daniels stated that the Temporal Accords were enacted after time travel was developed by all time travel–capable species to prevent catastrophic tampering with the timeline. By 2153, the Sphere Builders, a group previously thought to possess the ability only to examine alternate timelines, sent Xindi-Reptilians back to 21st century Detroit to develop a bioweapon to destroy the Human race. ( ) :Because the Sphere Builders exist in a separate dimension, they may not have had any involvement in the creation of the Temporal Accords. Ultimately the war ended when the Na'kuhl returned from an alternate 1944 (created by their very actions) and caused the Cold War to go hot with time-travelers changing time as they liked. Daniels brought Enterprise and Archer back to 1944 to stop Vosk, leader of the Nak'uhl, from returning to the future. With the help of Silik, a member of another faction of the Temporal Cold War, Archer shut off Vosk's compound's shields, allowing Enterprise to destroy it and thus destroying the temporal conduit and killing Vosk just as he was about to travel back to the future. Daniels pulled Archer to a place where they watched the time stream as all of the events that occurred when the Temporal Cold War went hot were undone and time reset itself to normal. Archer refused to have anything to do anymore with Daniels' "damn Temporal Cold War" and Daniels agreed, claiming it was finally coming to an end thanks to Archer's actions. ( ) Methods *Light-speed breakaway factor (Slingshot effect) *Nexus *Orb of Time *Q powers *Temporal causality loop *Temporal conduit *Temporal transporter *Temporal vortex *Time portal *Timeships *Wormholes Paradoxes *Dali Paradox *Grandfather paradox *Pogo Paradox *Predestination paradox Examples *List of time travel episodes *Alternate timelines *Temporal Cold War Apocrypha In the novel Ishmael, Captain Spock embarked incognito aboard a Klingon ore transport, refitted with time travel capacity. The Ore transport managed to go back to Earth in 1867 after an acceleration close to a white dwarf near Starbase 12. The Enterprise was modified to follow the ship to 1867, becoming the first instance that a Federation ship utilized intentional and controlled time travel. See also *Department of Temporal Investigations * Janeway Factor *Timeline *Temporal anomaly *Temporal Integrity Commission *Temporal Prime Directive de:Temporale Mechanik nl:Tijdmechanica Category:Academic disciplines Category: Time travel